Questions and (some) answers

With nearly six weeks remaining before the opening of training camp, the Ducks face a multitude of questions.

At least a couple of them figure to be answered before players report to Anaheim Ice next month. Camp developments will determine other matters, and some will have to wait until the NHL regular season is at least well under way. Still others will likely remain uncertain until after the 2008-09 campaign concludes.

Here, then, is a sort of top-10 list, with more questions than answers.

10) What does the hockey future hold for Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli?

Since NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed him an indefinite suspension June 24 in the wake of a guilty plea to one count of lying to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about his role in the backdating of employee stock-option grants at Broadcom Corp., Henry Samueli, left, has been prohibited from any dealings with the team. Susan Samueli opted to abide by terms of the suspension in support of her husband and to avoid any improper appearance. If Henry Samueli's Aug. 18 sentencing goes as expected, with five years probation, a $12 million payment to the U.S. Treasury and a $250,000 fine, Bettman would appear unlikely to impose any further discipline. As for the length of the suspension, one year is probably a logical guess.

9) Is general manager Brian Burke merely playing out the string, or will he be around for the long haul?

The non-stop chatter emanating from Canada that Burke was all but signed, sealed and delivered to become general manager of the woebegone Toronto Maple Leafs has died down, for now, but it will almost certainly start up again unless Burke agrees to a contract extension with the Ducks. That prospect does not appear imminent. Burke continues to weigh family considerations that might make it more attractive for him to work in the East. Still, there is no guarantee that Toronto will wait for Burke, under its current arrangement with Cliff Fletcher as a caretaker general manager. At some point, probably toward the end of the season, Ducks chief executive Michael Schulman will insist on an answer from Burke. Certainly, this scenario could play out either way, but by no means is it a done deal that Burke will be gone.

8) Who will be the captain of this ship?

Coach Randy Carlyle faces an interesting decision with whether to keep the “C” on the chest of Chris Pronger, who wore it last year, or return the revered letter to fellow former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Scott Niedermayer,right, who served as captain the previous two seasons. Pronger succeeded Niedermayer as captain last season, when Niedermayer sat out the opening 28 games while contemplating retirement in the wake of the club's 2007 Stanley Cup championship. The understated Niedermayer, who has committed to a full season this year, and the vocal but sometimes-emotional Pronger are as different as night and day. Never one to worry about potential hurt feelings, Carlyle just might go back to the Niedermayer well.

7) Exactly what will the blue-line corps look like?

With Pronger and Niedermayer leading the way, the defense has a chance to be outstanding, though neither was as dominant last season as in years past. The Ducks have to hope that with the benefit of a long summer that came after last season's first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Stars, both will return to true superstar form. The club is also hopeful for a strong bounce-back from Francois Beauchemin, who was not nearly as good last season as in 2006-07, and for Kent Huskins to continue making strides. Sean O'Donnell will again provide a veteran, physical presence, but Mathieu Schneider, signed last summer ostensibly as a replacement for Niedermayer, will probably be traded (more on that later). Newcomer Steve Montador figures to move into the top six, though rookies Brendan Mikkelson, Brian Salcido and Brett Festerling could have something to say about that in training camp.

6) Will fortune shine on the injury front?

Save for a rash of mid-season injuries that never seriously threatened a club that opened the season 12-0-4, the 2006-07 Ducks were blessed with very good health en route to winning the Stanley Cup championship. They weren't so lucky last season, when goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and checking-line center Samuel Pahlsson missed the start of the season after undergoing sports-hernia surgeries, and Schneider suffered a broken ankle in his first exhibition game. At this point, there don't appear to be any areas of concern, but that could change in a heartbeat. Right wing Rob Niedermayer is apparently recovered from a concussion that kept him out of last season's final four playoff games, Burke said.

5) Could big money create problems for the club's young guns?

The team's top two scorers last season, center Ryan Getzlaf with 24 goals and 82 points and right wing Corey Perry with 29 goals and 54 points, will each be in the first season of a five-year, $26.625 million contract. They wouldn't be the first to struggle with the expectations that accompany such deals, and the Ducks could ill afford for either, let alone both, to do so. Perry, below, also must overcome the effects of surgery to repair a partially severed right quadriceps tendon that shelved him for more than a month late last season. Given their competitiveness and track records, which include strong follow-up campaigns on the heels of the Ducks winning the 2007 Stanley Cup crown, Getzlaf and Perry figure to do just fine.

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